Durian - EAT ALL YOU CAN 2018

Secret Compartment In A Chair

An ordinary wooden chair with seat cover

Make a hinged cover. Make a platform for the base.

Now you have made a secret compartment

Close the cover and nobody knows there is a seceret compartment under the seat

Chair Transforms Into A Step-ladder

Chair Transforms Into A Step-ladder

A versatile chair cum step-ladder

Simple sketches 

Old chair with a piece of the plank (seat) removed

Front legs detached from the chair's main frame

Extra legs added. Now to add the hinges

Completed chair cum step-ladder

Chair opens up into a step-ladder

Video at YouTube

DIY Drill Press

I made an electric drill press from a pair of old wardrobe door railings and some old wood.

The most important criteria should be that the drill rests snugly and in an upright position to give 90-degree drilling.

Simple lever handle move the drill up-and-down during drilling

Ensure the drill bit is at 90-degree angle before drilling

Elastic rubber strap holds the drill at a comfortable height

Anther piece of elastic strap holds the drill in place during drilling

Back-view.  The two door railings are screwed to wooden uprights

Bottom-view. Drill is mounted into a hole cut exactly to fit the drill chuck

Top-view- The drill is hold in place by an elastic strap

Francis' Weather Forecasting Stone

Wikipedia describes the weather stone or rock as "a humor display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect."

In a weather forecasting stone gadget, usually a stone or rock is suspended from a chain or rope and this is accompanied by a signboard indicating how to read the weather forecasts by looking at the condition of the stone.

 Here are some examples:

• If the rock is wet, it's raining.
• If the rock is swinging, the wind is blowing.
• If the rock is not visible, it is foggy.
• If the rock is white, it is snowing.
• If the rock is coated with ice, there is a frost.

We know these conditions are just common sense. And this make the weather stone such an easy and fun way to tell the weather.


There are many popular weather rocks or stones especially in the western world. One such stone hangs outside the Craven Arms pub and truck barn, Barden, Craven, North Yorkshire, U.K. and reputedly to be more accurate than Paul Hudson, the BBC weather man.

Source from geograph.org.uk, author Tom Knapp

Francis' Weather Forecasting Stone

 I made these two mini versions of the weather forecasting stone - a flower box and an L-shaped frame that can be placed on the desk:

Miniature weather stone - flower pot and desk-top versions

I also have adapted some of the popular indicators to suit the tropical weather conditions. The last item on the list is very specified to the Malaysian scenario.

A flower-box version and the signboard of indicators

Flower-box Weather Stone

Step-by-step on how to do it:

Bought this ready-made  Flower box from one of the shops selling cheap made-in-China stuff

List of weather indicators printed out, laminated with PVC, and cut to size

List of weather indicators mounted on hard cardboard

An ice-cream box cover with cut-lines for making a container for the soil and plants

Cut-out for the flower box. Hot glue is used to hold the foldings together.

Flower box placed inside the fence. Fill this with garden soil.

A small stone is affixed with stainless steel wire and link-chain (super-glue)

The weather chart and suspended stone are firmly in place

Flower box Weather Stone hangs beautifully on the pillar outside the house

Miniature Desk-top Weather Stone

A piece of old plank cut to size and lots of sandpaper

Two pieces of wood vigorously polished till smooth with sand-paper

Drilled two holes to affix screws for joining the two pieces together

Filled the gaps with putty and apply several coats of varnish

Tie the stone firmly with fine wire and attach it to a link-chain

Attach the stone. Glue plastic studs at the base for firm support

Glue the chart firmly. I added a cut-out prawn made from sea shell for decoration

This desk-top version can be used as a book-end or a paper weight

Instead of making your own L-shaped board, you can buy a ready-made book-end for your project. Choose one with a broad wooden upright to stick your signboard.

You can also use this desk-top version as a pen or pencil holder and a pocket for note-paper.

Some ice-cream box covers and a PVC tubing

Cut the materials to fit the desk-top weather-stone and use hot glue to join the pieces

A beautiful pen-and-pencil holder

A pocket-full of paper for writing notes and messages

DIY Book Rack

DIY Book Rack

This is one creative idea to reuse an empty 1.5 liter ice-cream container - make it into a  book rack or open book rack.

Use a pencil and trace an outline on the side of the container

Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the required shape

These narrow slits are very important as they hold the board in place

 

Cut the slits according to the thickness of the board. It should fit snugly.

Place a writing-board or hard cardboard into the slits

The book rack is strong enough even for a big heavy book

If the ice-cream container is too flimsy, just add another box to reinforce it.

Use a clip to hold the pages in its place

Great for the kitchen

Excellent for children to do their school or homework

It's excellent as a message board